Chapter 17 Memory

Words : 1450 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 17: Chapter 17 MemoryIn the study, Su Jin finished drawing the designs, gently blew the ink dry, and wore a satisfied smile on her face. Xingxing stood at the door, eyes gazing at the sky. In no time, she had thoroughly explored the study, summed up in two words: uninteresting. Books and more books. The only amusing thing was the chessboard by the window, yet it was missing a slingshot. She somewhat missed the days in Qingyun Mountain, where the Madam wanted the young lady to learn chess, but the lady stubbornly used the chess pieces as stones, scattering them all over the mountain. Also, the gentleman sent by the Marquis to the mountain to teach the lady music, chess, calligraphy, and painting was almost driven to the point of having a stroke by her. The lady once said she wanted to be the greatest bandit in Daqi; being literate was already unbefitting of a bandit, let alone mastering the arts. One day, if she broke into poetry on Qingyun Mountain under the moon, others might think she was crazy. The gentleman taught for a month, and all the lady learned was to draw a turtle; the gentleman, who never swore, complained to the Marquis that the lady was as dense as elm wood. If he was pushed to teach further, he’d rather bash his head against a wall. The Marquis thought it wasn’t the lady who was slow; rather, the gentleman didn’t know how to teach. So he brought another one over, and after another month, the lady couldn’t even draw a turtle... The Marquis angrily beat up that gentleman. The lady couldn’t master the arts but loved wielding weapons, yet was incompetent in all eighteen martial skills. She’d even whip herself more than others when learning to use a whip. But now, seeing the lady take up the brush to paint so skillfully, she seemed almost like a different person, like a noble family’s daughter. But this was clearly her own lady. Just a fall, and all her bandit spirit was gone? The Madam said the lady was born to be a noblewoman; once she learned, she’d be adept at the arts, yet she refused to learn and pursued weapons, in which she had no talent. Could this fall have cleared her dense brain? But through the years, the young lady had fallen numerous times. The Madam even suspected whether hitting her head too often had made her less sharp... Xingxing sighed, leaning against the door idly, like a wilting flower. Seeing Su Jin stretch lazily, she immediately perked up, as if invigorated, full of curiosity. "Young lady, what do you think is in that direction?" A side door was opened in the study, and it seemed to lead nowhere. Su Jin stood up, smiling, "Didn’t you go check it out?" "I was afraid you’d call for me, so I didn’t go far," Xingxing replied. Indeed, she wanted to wander around to familiarize herself with the newly occupied Agarwood Pavilion. Su Jin walked ahead, with Xingxing closely following behind, asking, "Young lady, Madam wants you to buy a few reliable maids after becoming the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion. When are you planning to buy them? What if one day I want to go out for fun and there’s no one to serve you?" Speaking of this matter, Su Jin felt both helpless and amused. It had been some time since the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion had moved to the Capital. Before moving to the Marquis Mansion, Mrs. Tang wanted to get a few maids. However, the notoriety of Qingyun Mountain’s Feihu Village preceded them, making the human traffickers wary that Marquis Dongxiang wouldn’t pay, so they outright refused to accept the job. Previously, they managed to get by as they weren’t a prominent family, so having fewer people to serve wasn’t bothersome. But with Su Jin’s marriage, she couldn’t just bring one maid as a dowry. Marquis Dongxiang was furious and made the human traffickers, scared out of their wits, fetch some maids. Yet, as they approached the Marquis Mansion gates, those maids were crying as if heading to an execution, loud enough to suggest the mansion was hosting a funeral. Marquis Dongxiang was so enraged he overturned tables, and Mrs. Tang eventually gave up, sending the human traffickers away. They managed to gather the maids in the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, and including Xingxing, barely came up with six maids. Marquis Dongxiang and Mrs. Tang wanted to give the best to Su Jin. But how could Su Jin accept? If she took those six maids, the Dongxiang Marquis Mansion would be left with only servants and three old women, one of whom had a sprained back. If guests came, Mrs. Tang would have to serve tea herself, which was improper. It was disgraceful, so it was better to face it all at once rather than trying to cover up and appearing less dignified. "Tomorrow, when we return home, I’ll have the human traffickers bring maids the day after," Su Jin said. The mistress and the maid chatted idly. The path led deep, shaded by lush trees. After passing through fake mountains and walking over a hundred more steps, a breathtaking view unfolded before them. A vast bamboo forest stood tall and straight, reaching for the sky. The breeze blew gently, rustling the bamboo leaves. By the bamboo forest stood a bamboo house, serene and elegant. In the distance was a Lotus Pond, with a pavilion in the middle, its upturned eaves picturesque. "What a beautiful place!" Xingxing exclaimed in awe. Su Jin was also captivated by the beauty, never expecting such a hidden gem behind the Agarwood Pavilion. Xingxing, fond of water, darted to the pavilion, while Su Jin preferred the bamboo house and started walking toward it. Once she was on the steps, she noticed Xie Jingchen inside the house and smiled, "This place is nice." "Hmm." "I’ll take it." "..." Xie Jingchen raised his hand to his forehead. She truly wasn’t subtle at all. The Hidden Guard beside him said, "Eldest Young Madam, this backyard was specifically prepared by the Duke for the Eldest Young Master to recuperate." Indeed, he was favored. Su Jin walked over, smiling, "Are you one of the Black and White Impermanence who scared my maid into a feverish delirium?" Hidden Guard, "..." "Rest assured, with me treating your Young Master, he’ll soon not need to rest anymore." Hidden Guard, "..." Unable to refute and daring not to argue. Searᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Su Jin glanced around the bamboo house, growing more satisfied, handing the design she drew to the Hidden Guard, saying, "Prepare the things on this paper quickly, so I can detoxify your Young Master." Outside, Xingxing ran over, saying, "Such a beautiful place, just looking at it makes me hungry. Young lady, are you hungry?" Of course, she was hungry. "Go get the food, we’ll eat here." Soon, Xingxing brought over the food, filling a table at the doorway. The aroma of the dishes overshadowed the faint ink fragrance of the bamboo house. Su Jin had just taken a few bites. Xie Jingchen coughed heavily twice, startling Xingxing so much that the chicken leg she was about to eat fell onto her dress. Su Jin turned to see Xie Jingchen come out. She casually asked, "Do you want to eat?" Xie Jingchen, with a dark expression, said slowly, "Basking in the sun is enough to fill me." Su Jin, "..." She just accidentally left out two words, was there a need to be so sarcastic to her? "Living on wind and dew, surely a recluse living off the grid," Su Jin admired, and continued, "These dishes taste quite good." Xingxing nodded, cluelessly adding, "The kitchen steward said she didn’t know the young lady’s preferences, so she made what the son-in-law liked." The certain son-in-law, "..." Xie Jingchen’s eyes flared, staring at Su Jin, as if she had wronged him somehow. Was it just because she didn’t invite him to eat? Her appetite was nearly gone from his staring. Su Jin put down her chopsticks and said to Xingxing, "He has poor memory. Let’s reenact the morning’s scene to help him remember." Xingxing was puzzled. Only to see Su Jin clear her throat, looking at Xie Jingchen, saying, "Without you speaking, I felt like I was dining with a piece of wood. I really can’t eat. We don’t have to eat at the same table every day, right?" Xingxing suddenly realized, blurting two words: "As you wish." Xie Jingchen, "..." This woman! He really wanted to strangle her!

Chapter 17 Memory

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